Doug: We've all been to a concert or four in our lives. We've probably all watched television programs like
The Midnight Special or
Top of the Pops -- shoot, some among us may remember with clarity the days of the
Ed Sullivan Show. Today we want to reminisce on great musical performances, from any venue.
Doug: I was in high school and college in the heyday of MTV, back when it was truly Music Television. I recall being spellbound by most of the videos, but some of my favorites were the faux concert videos (such as Van Halen's "Panama") or the actual concert videos like Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me". Prior to MTV, many of us saw musical performances on shows like the aforementioned
Midnight Special,
American Bandstand,
Soul Train, or even
Saturday Night Live. Of course, in the Internet age some classic performances have truly come to the masses with artists' own websites and repositories like YouTube, etc.
Doug: One of the things I guess I didn't realize as a kid (just me being unobservant) was that Dick Clark did not allow artists to perform live on
American Bandstand. Contrast this with the many wonderful live performances on the
Ed Sullivan Show. Below you'll find a couple of samples from the latter program. So what are some great performances you've either seen or enjoyed live? Who gave a great concert (that would be KISS, back
in 1977 touring in support of the Love Gun album, which I saw at the Chicago Stadium), who was a tireless performer that really gave the audience their money's worth, and who are the artists that let their music speak for itself? What were some favorite videos of yours in the 1980's? Lastly, are there any great concert films you've loved? In advance, our thanks!